Section 6
interview
duncan grossart
Duncan Grossart Interview
by Kamil Grund
Kamil: Your journey into conservation and purpose-driven travel didn’t begin in a boardroom — it began in nature. What early experiences shaped your worldview and ultimately led you to dedicate your career to conservation-led impact? Duncan: Yes, my early life was shaped by the natural world, and growing up with other animals around me, particularly horses. David Attenborough’s groundbreaking series Life on Earth, first broadcast in 1979, enthralled and inspired me, as did Jacques Cousteau’s marine series and my first journey to Africa — Kenya — in 1985. All this gave me a profound appreciation and love of the sentience of all life. Kamil: As Founder of Journeys With Purpose, you’ve created a model that goes beyond traditional luxury travel. How do you ensure that every expedition generates measurable ecological and social impact rather than just awareness? Duncan: Through working with exceptional impact partners, Kamil: You work closely with rewilding pioneers and conservation leaders across continents. What is one defining moment in the field that fundamentally changed how you see humanity’s relationship with nature? Duncan: It’s not so much been a Damascene conversion, but rather a series of encounters and events that have evolved my outlook. Particularly when one takes the time to study animal behaviours, biodiversity and ecosystems — how everything is connected and works together — and learning from brilliant leaders and activists. “I hope that whoever sees this gets the message that these things don’t happen on their own. Everybody has to get out of bed every and measurement through our Impact Reports: https://journeyswithpurpose.org/impact-reports/.
day and do something meaningful that has nothing to do with themselves, to protect those things you love. You have to jump into the fray, you have to get really serious about spending or investing a portion of your life doing something that sees you becoming an activist, a defender, raising an army, to protect the natural world. You have to be inspired by people, but you also have to just want it on your own...” — Kris Tompkins, Tompkins Conservation Kamil: What has been the most frightening or heartbreaking moment during your conservation journey — and, in contrast, the moment that brought you the greatest joy or renewed hope? Duncan: The sight of caged and frightened animals, humanity’s inhumanity toward our sentient kin, and the devastation of ecosystems. On the positive side, overcoming my fear of swimming with sharks: https://journeyswithpurpose.org/ restoring-island-ocean-ecosystems-in-palau/. And spending time with remarkable people, causes and places, all with remarkable purpose — this is my greatest reward and inspiration. Kamil: You guide influential business and political leaders into some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. Do you observe a transformation in them before and after the journey? What changes stand out most — and how does witnessing that evolution affect you personally? Duncan: Observing a wonderful transformation of beginning to restore our relationship with the natural world, and understanding that we need to return to a more harmonious balance between heads and hearts. Trust in our hearts and feelings. Indigenous Peoples know this. And enabling the fundamental truth that we don’t have to accept the way things are — we can change things for the better. Seeing this change in others is inspirational and redoubles my own efforts.
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DAVOS CLUB
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